1.9 Motivation: Meaning, Types and Importance★

# Why Get Up?

• Your alarm rings at 6 a.m. on a cold winter morning.
• What makes you get up instead of hitting snooze?
• Maybe an exam, a job, a dream, or fear of a scolding.
• Whatever pushes you to act is motivation.

# Motivation PYQ 5M · other

Motivation is the inner force that drives a person to act towards a goal. The word comes from the Latin movere, "to move".

The motivation process

flowchart TD
    N["<b>Unsatisfied need</b><br>e.g. hunger, a job"]:::red --> T["<b>Tension</b><br>discomfort"]:::amber
    T --> D["<b>Drive</b><br>urge to act"]:::amber
    D --> B["<b>Goal-directed behaviour</b><br>search, effort"]:::blue
    B --> S["<b>Goal achieved</b><br>need satisfied"]:::green
    S -.->|"new need arises"| N
    classDef blue fill:#5b84d424,stroke:#5b84d480
    classDef amber fill:#d6a24424,stroke:#d6a24480
    classDef red fill:#d0707024,stroke:#d0707080
    classDef green fill:#52a86e24,stroke:#52a86e80

Classic definitions

• Koontz and O'Donnell: "a general term applied to the entire class of drives, needs, wishes and similar forces."
• Fred Luthans: "a process that starts with a physiological or psychological deficiency or need that activates behaviour or a drive that is aimed at a goal or incentive."
• Berelson and Steiner: "an inner state that energizes, activates or moves, and that directs or channels behaviour towards goals."

Nature of motivation

1. Internal: it comes from inside the person.
2. Goal-directed: always aimed at some result.
3. Continuous: one need satisfied, another appears.
4. Complex: different people are moved by different things.
5. Can be positive or negative: rewards or fear of punishment.

The main theories of motivation → 1.10 and 1.11.

# Principles of Motivation PYQ 5M · other

1. Participation: involve people in decisions that affect them.
2. Recognition: appreciate good work, publicly and promptly.
3. Fair rewards: pay and incentives linked to performance and equal for equal work.
4. Goal clarity: people work better towards clear, challenging goals (→ 1.4).
5. Communication: keep people informed; explain the "why".
6. Growth opportunities: training, promotion and new challenges.
7. Individual differences: what motivates one person may not motivate another.

# Motives PYQ 5M · other

A motive is a specific reason or need that makes a person act in a certain way. Motivation is the overall process; motives are its reasons.

Types of motives

1. Primary (physiological) motives: inborn, for survival.
   • Hunger, thirst, sleep, avoiding pain.
2. Secondary (social) motives: learnt from society.
   • Achievement: to succeed and excel.
   • Power: to influence and control others.
   • Affiliation: to belong and be liked.
   • Security and status.
3. General motives: neither purely physical nor purely learnt.
   • Curiosity: to explore and know.
   • Competence: to master one's surroundings.
   • Activity: to keep doing something.

# Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation PYQ 5M · other

Intrinsic motivation is motivation from inside: doing something because it is enjoyable or meaningful in itself.
Extrinsic motivation is motivation from outside: doing something to gain a reward or avoid a punishment.

How they influence behaviour differently

• Intrinsic: people keep going on their own, try harder tasks and enjoy the process.
• Extrinsic: works well for quick, routine tasks and short-term targets, but too much can kill interest in a task the person once enjoyed.
• Best results come from both together: interesting work plus fair rewards.

# Self-Motivation and Inspiration

• Self-motivation: the ability to push yourself to act without outside pressure.
• Inspiration: a sudden urge to act, often from someone else's example or story.
• Goal-oriented motivation: clear goals keep motivation steady (→ 1.12).
• Inspiration starts the action; self-motivation keeps it going.

# What Motivates People

Internal factors

• Needs, interests, values, ambition, self-esteem, sense of purpose.

External factors

• Pay and rewards, recognition, work environment, boss and colleagues, job security, family expectations.

# Significance of Motivation in Organisations PYQ 5M · other

1. Higher productivity: motivated staff do more and better work.
2. Better quality: pride in work reduces errors.
3. Lower absenteeism and turnover: people stay and show up.
4. Achieving goals: individual effort lines up with company goals.
5. Readiness for change: motivated staff accept new methods.
6. Good relations: less conflict, better teamwork.
7. Best use of resources: people, machines and money are used efficiently.

• Motivation and career development: motivated employees learn new skills, take initiative and grow faster.

# Attitude and Motivation

• A positive attitude makes a person see tasks as worthwhile, which raises motivation; a negative attitude kills it before effort begins (→ 1.6).